@ Your Library
If you can’t escape the cold, embrace it. Get outside and enjoy the snow and ice and then read about others living where it is cold or discover a new hobby or new ways of doing old hobbies.
Ruby and Roland by Faith Sullivan is a retelling of Jane Eyre set in Harvester, Minnesota. Ruby is a resilent woman torn between duty and passion and between what has been and what could be at a time when young women were expected to focus on courtship and marriage. Ayaz Virji is a doctor who moved from an east coast hospital to a small Minnesota town to help address the shortage of doctors in rural America. Love Thy Neighbor is his story as he and his family adjust to a very different life.
If you haven’t read Mary Casanova’s stories about early Ranier life, Frozen and Ice Out, I highly recommend them. Other authors with northern Minnesota settings include William Kent Krueger has seventeen Cork O’Connor mysteries set primarily in the Arrowhead with the latest called Desolation Mountain. Margo Hansen’s Tall Timber Trilogy set in the logging days of northern Minnesota includes Greatly Beloved, Only Beloved and Brother Beloved. And while winter isn’t a big part of the landscape in either of Ryan J. Stradal’s books, both are set in Minnesota and good stories. His first was Kitchens of the Great Midwest and last year’s title was The Lager Queen of Minnesota. Both are centered on food and making a living creating food (or drink) for others to enjoy.
Making Marbled Paper by Heather RJ Fletcher provides ‘paint techniques and patterns for classic and modern marbleizing on paper and silk.’ It is a gorgeous book and definitely makes me want to explore the world of marbling. I do a bit of knitting and was fascinated with the book Knitting Modular by Melissa Leapman. While the patterns are marvelous and I may explore more at a later date, I was overwhelmed with the amount of sewing together that would have to happen. I prefer my knitting in one piece or at least as few a pieces as possible. I have tried to crochet and my hands find it awkward, but there are some wonderful projects in Big Book of Weekend Crochet Projects by Hilary Mackin and Sue Whiting.
Quilters will enjoy exploring these three new books Simple Geometric Quilting by Laura Preston for modern, minimalist designs, The Handmade Quilt by Carolyn Forster for a complete skill-building sampler or Quilted with Love by Sarah Fielke for patchwork projects.
My Aunt was a weaver and I’ve often wanted to explore weaving and we have three new titles that make me want to get serious about a new hobby. The Weaving Explorer by Deborah Jarchow and Gwen Steege include ‘ingenious techniques, accessible tools and creative projects with yarn, paper, wire and more.’ Weaving on a Little Loom by Fiona Daly and Cardboard Loom Weaving by Harumi Kageyama both make exploring weaving manageable and un-intimidating.